Badminton Racket First Impressions: Victor Bravesword Lee Yong Dae

Those who have come here before will know of my experience with Victor rackets. They appear to be good at first, and then they crap out on you.

And yet I keep getting myself more of these to try out! Call me a sucker, sheep, follower and just plain stubborn.

So the flavor of last year was the Bravesword Lee Yong Dae, championed by the uber popular Korean doubles player. He used the racket for his stint in the Olympic games and came off with a bronze

User reviews for this racket on the forums came off pretty good too, so I finally got one to try out.

When you first hold the racket, it feels cheap - like it's made by some cheap machine in a cheap factory in the cheapest country in the world.

And after hitting it around for a few games it still feels cheap. Guess that's what it is; ain't even made in Taiwan!

The Bravesword Lee Yong Dae comes off as an attacking racket, with smashes feeling strong and solid. The frame feels funny hitting any shuttle (because it's cheap and made in a cheap country, remember), but the force coming off the racket is commendable.

Other than the increased attacking power, the racket comes off as unmemorable and commonplace. Good for a senseless game of shuttle-flattening, but I wouldn't want it in a game where I need to accurately hit corners.

Did I mention that it felt cheap?